New voices and stories help balance the books Independent.ie 10/01/2021 Emily Hourican The pandemic has been, broadly speaking, good for books, in that reading is a vital survival tool for many of us. Books aren't hard to buy online - no faffing with sizes or colours - they are relatively cheap, and usually quickly delivered (kudos to the amazing Irish bookshops that do this so efficiently). However, the pandemic has not been equally good to all books, favouring established and big-name writers over the new and emerging. When buying online, readers tend to stick with what they know - or rely on algorithms that 'predict' what they'll like, based on previous purchases (I say nuts to these algorithms; they fail to take account of my broad and eclectic taste. Just because I love John le Carré does not mean I want an endless list of spy thrillers…). When buying online, readers do not browse, or chat to those wonderful ambassadors for books - booksellers.